Purdue women’s basketball recruiting: Jackie Young

Up until a year ago, Charlie Mair didn’t realize college basketball coaches attended high school practices.

Mair has never had a player like Jackie Young.

“I can say it very simply – she’s a gym rat who will be in the gym whenever she can be and besides that, she’s very humble,” Princeton’s girls basketball coach said. “She tries to make her teammates better.”

Young is worthy of the attention.

Purdue coach Sharon Versyp was the first to offer the 6-foot do-everything prospect as an eighth-grader. Five more programs have followed – Indiana, Notre Dame, Louisville, Illinois and Vanderbilt. More are likely to be added to before long.

On this February evening deep in Southern Indiana, Young stands out more than the long list of delicacies offered at the Boonville High School concession stand. As the top-ranked Tigers put away Gibson Southern in the first-round of this Class 3A sectional, Young was the show.

She made 14 of 15 field goals, a mix of short jumpers and layups. She pulled down nine rebounds and handed out five assists. It added up to 32 points. Although right-handed, Young had an impressive blocked shot with her left hand.

“I like my left more,” she said, smiling.

She slashes to the basket with authority and has skills well beyond a sophomore in high school.

What Young was able to do against lesser competition, she won’t duplicate once she reached college. She already knows that.

“My jumpshot, that still needs improvement and finishing at the basket against stronger players,” Young said. “When I go to camps, there will be girls two or three years older than me and I have to finish. I’ve been in the weight room every day.”

However, two nights later, Young and her teammates were stymied by a taller and stronger Evansville Memorial team. The Tigers didn’t hit a field goal in the second half and scored four points in losing by 15, ending their unbeaten season.

Young, who carries a 4.0 grade point average, is nowhere close to trimming her list or making a decision. It’s still a long way off.

She attended Purdue’s Elite Camp for two years, starting in seventh grade. The Tigers have traveled to Versyp’s team camp the last two years. Young plans to attend Sunday’s game against Nebraska at Mackey Arena.

Young said her first scholarship offer from Purdue “was great. I didn’t know what to think. I was in eighth grade. I didn’t know what it meant until we sat down in the office and they explained it a little bit more. It made me want to keep working on my game and try to improve every game.”